Artifact

This is a traditional Indian pot made using the potter's wheel. I view this pot as a bridge between my two identities - as a Rajasthani born in Maharashtra

Sketches

Orthographic Drawings

(Drawn to Scale)

Top View

Bottom View

Front/Side View

Model Making

Digital Modelling

Anthropological Research

I studied Indian Pottery for my Research Project. I researched about their history, how they were made, and how they were used back then and are continued to be used in modern Indian Society

Detailed Presentation can be found in the portfolio section titled - "Part 1 - Object Ethnography Research Presentation"

Artifact Haiku

मटका

Whether rich or poor - 5

Undivided we all eat - 7 

From the same brown pot - 5

Part 2 : Concept to Form

Interpretation and Conceptual Analysis

I analysed the Poem - "Aftermath of Departure" by Vidya Panicker using the TPFASTT method

The poem is about a girl trying to cope with the loss of a dear one (her mother).

The 3 themes I identifies from the poem were -

• Nostalgia
• Void
• Separation

Detailed Poem Analysis document can be found in the portfolio section titled - "Poem Annotation and Analysis Sheet"

Photo Collage

3 Photo collages were made to represent each of the 3 themes identified from the poem

Photo Collage

Photo Collage

2D Abstractions

3D Form Studies

History of Indian Pottery

How The Matka/Handi (Northern India terms) is Used 

Material & Its Origin

Craft/Manufacturing

The History of Indian Pottery

How the Matka/Handi/Pottery is used

How the Matka/Handi/Pottery is used

Materials:

Matkas/Handis were originally made with earthenware like terracotta. In recent years there has been a shift to more modern vessels made of stainless steel and iron etc in an attempt to increase efficiency

Terracotta

Stainless Steel

Iron

Materials Origin:

Clay in India is mostly found in alluvial soil (A mixture of sand, slit and clay)

Though the majority of clay is found in Northern India (majorly found in Tamil Nadu in the south), the usage of clay pots can be found EVERYWHERE in ancient and to some extent modern India

Manufacturing and Crafted

• Clay mined from river banks (alluvial soil)
• Ageing Process
• Clay is processed into a fine powder
• This fine powder is mixed with water, to create a clay-water slurry
• The slurry is passed through mesh shelves to remove any rocks/impurities
• The slurry is kept in large settling tanks to sun dry
• Once the water is evaporated the now soft clay cakes are taken back into the workshop for further processing

Manufacturing and Crafted

After the clay is fully processed there are two methods to create the clay pots

• Potter's Wheel method
• Jigger and Jolly machine method

After the pots are made (greenware) they are send to be fired in a kiln. There are two types of kilns that can be used for this process

• Wood based kiln
• Oil Based Kiln (Used if the pots need more strength Eg. cooking pots)

The History of Indian Pottery

*Fun Fact*

Unglazed pottery (no chemical layer) is the oldest form of pottery practiced in India allowing the food to interact directly with the pot (enhancing the flavours)

Whether rich or poor

Undivided we all eat 

From the same brown pot

The earliest practice of pottery in India can be traced back to Chopani-Mando in 9,000 B.C (about 11,000 years ago).

Compared to its eastern counterparts pots in India were more widely used for art and decoration purposes. They were also used in peace offering for the death (life after death was a big belief people believed in)

In the olden days and even now electricity is scarce in India, these clay pots are perfect solution to making food without a gas, they are very low-cost, can be cooked on a wood fire, and the food that comes out is healthy and delicious

The oldest known pottery comes from China in 17,000 B.C.

Ancient Chinese Bronzes from the Shang (1,600 B.C, earlier use - 3,500 B.C) and Zhou (1,100 B.C) Dynasty were created using the intricate piece molding technique

Piece Molding Technique Process -

• Modelling - Molding - Casting

China

Bibliography

• https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-crafts/indian-pottery.html
• https://ancientcookware.com/indian
• Dr. Robert Mowry @Harvard Art Museum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaYUEV-vGLM
• https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/benefits-cooking-in-an-earthen-pot-6219288/
• https://yourstory.com/2019/01/women-pottery-tamil-nadu/amp

Precedents

Relationship:

High School Journey

Game:

Snakes and ladders

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Project Statement

Journey is inspired from the infamous children's game Snakes and Ladders. This newly developed version of the game looks at this game through the lens of a traditional high school journey experience by acknowledging its the ups and downs.

Design Research Survey Results

Highlights

• Career/University goals; An overwhelming majority of people were focused on the future rather than enjoying the present

• A lot of people mentioned that a lot of the decisions they took in high school were largely influenced by peer pressure

Sketches

2D Abstractions

Isolation

Friendship

Exploration

Frustration

Prototypes

Part 1: Grade 9+10

Overview (Part 1 + Part 2 (11,12))

Prototypes

Different Game cards

Basic Game Pieces (Yet to be developed)

Game Testing

1) It became difficult to keep track of the good and bad cards after some time in part 2

2) We had less cards at hand and, hence they kept repeating themselves so having more cards could probably make the game more interesting

3) The game prompted fun and interesting conversations among players as intended

4) I played the game virtually with some friends. Hence, at times it was hard for them to understand everything that was going on but they still had fun and found the game intriguing they said.

Observations

1) Make more paths (outside the current music and medicine paths)

2) While making the final cards (increase the quantity since they might become repetitive (also go with the current theme of making them funny to spark conversations among players))

3) Make Final Rhino Model (Laser cutting will not be possible but learning the model part is the most important), the final cards, and game characters

Next Steps